Double Mutant Coronavirus Variant

  • A unique “double mutant” coronavirus variant with a combination of mutations, not seen anywhere else in the world, has been found in India.
  • The double mutation in key areas of the virus' spike protein may increase the risks and allow the virus to escape the immune system.

VARIANT

  • According to the study, the ‘L’ type strain of coronavirus became more dominant in China. 
  • The ‘S’ type coronavirus became more contagious in the rest of the world. 
  • However, in Europe, another strain of virus strain was found which swaps between amino acids D and G and was given the name – D614G. 
  • In India, the first strain of coronavirus was ‘L’ strain that originated in Wuhan, according to experts, which eventually mutated into ‘S’ and ‘G’ stains, which have spread across the country.

MUTATION

  • Mutation is an alteration in the genetic material (the genome) of a cell of a living organism or of a virus that is more or less permanent and that can be transmitted to the cell’s or the virus’s descendants.
  • The genomes of organisms are all composed of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA), whereas viral genomes can be of DNA or Ribo Nucleic Acid (RNA).

DOUBLE MUTANT

  • Genome sequencing of a section of virus samples by the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG), revealed the presence of two mutations, E484Q and L452R together, in virus samples from states such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab and Gujarat.
  • The INSACOG will submit details of this variant to a global repository called Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID). 
  • It can also be classified as a Variant of Concern (VOC) if certain .
  • So far, only three global VOCs have been identified: the U.K. variant (B.1.1.7), the South African (B.1.351) and the Brazilian (P.1) lineage. 

INSACOG 

  • The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) is a grouping of 10 National Laboratories. 
  • It was established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 25 December 2020. 
  • INSACOG is since then carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating Covid-19 viruses, and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants. 

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